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Brown heralds a nuclear powered world

Calum D Liddle

Gordon Brown has appealed to Iran to end its uranium enrichment programme in return for international help in developing a civil nuclear power industry.

Addressing an international conference in London, the Prime Minister said that Iran represents a crucial “test case” for the world as it prepares for a massive expansion in nuclear power to counter climate change.

In his speech to diplomats and scientists, the Prime Minister said, “like it or not”, civil nuclear power will have to become more widespread in the coming decades if the world is to curb damaging carbon emissions.

Brown added: “However, the need to open up nuclear technology to non-nuclear nations will require a new philosophy, combining the right to civil power generation with sanctions for those nations that break the rules on the development of weapons.”

Dr Vicky Pope, head of climate change advice at the Met Office, said: “Anything that alters the climate in a different way from reducing carbon has inherent dangers because we don’t understand the climate well enough.”

The Scottish Government is opposed to any new nuclear power developments, instead opting to make the nation the “green capital” of Europe.

SNP Westminster Energy spokesperson, Mike Weir MP, told Veritas: “I would remind Gordon Brown that the Scottish Government, and indeed the Scottish Parliament, reject the development of dangerous, unnecessary and costly new nuclear power stations in Scotland.”

He continued: “The Scottish Government are leading the way with clean, green and reliable alternatives. Scotland has massive renewables potential, as well as significant opportunities for clean fossil-fuel technologies and carbon storage.”